Foldable tent

ABSTRACT

A foldable self-erecting tent ( 10 ) has an elongate fabric shell ( 11 ) and frame ribs ( 16 ). Frame ribs ( 16 ) define an interior space the of tent ( 10 ), and a collapsed and folded configuration in which the shell ( 11 ) is compacted and the frame is manipulated such that the tent ( 10 ) is stored in carry bag ( 25 ). The frame ribs ( 16 ) are adapted to be fitted into sleeves ( 17 ) and secured at their ends such that ribs ( 16 ) are bowed in arcuate configurations, the ribs ( 16 ) being made from a resilient spring like material urging against the shell ( 11 ) of fabric sheet material to form the interior space. The frame ribs ( 16 ) are moveable from the erect configuration where they are spaced apart to the collapsed configuration where they adjacent to each other into a substantially flat arrangement with a diameter of the transverse cross section being substantially identical to that of the erect configuration, the ribs ( 16 ) being adapted to be manipulated into a loop arrangement ( 23 ) thereby reducing the diameter in the collapsed and folded configuration, the tent in flat collapsed and folded configuration being adapted to be stored in the storage carry bag ( 25 ).

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority of the filingdate of, U.S. Ser. No. 10/332,755, presently pending, which itself is aU.S. national phase application, under 35 U.S.C. 371, of PCT/AU01/00843,having an international filing date of 13 Jul. 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Technical Field

The present invention relates to tents and, in particular, to a tenthaving an integral frame with attached fabric covering, which is selferecting, collapsible and is easily folded such that it is stowable in acarry bag or the like.

2. The Prior Art

Self-erecting tents are tents which utilize as a frame, a number of wireloops which are sewn into a sleeve in the fabric covering such that whenthe tent is released form its collapsed state, it springs into the shapeof a tent due to the spring action of the wire loops.

However it has been found that prior art tents such as described aboveare not relatively easy to stow in a bag to be carried on one's back orover one's shoulder.

It is therefore seen to be desirable to have a foldable self-erectingtent which has the provision of a frame which is easy to fold into aflat collapsed state such that it is easily stowable into a carry bagwhich is suitable to be carried on ones back or over ones shoulder.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a foldableself-erecting tent and a method of folding same which substantiallyovercomes or ameliorates the above mentioned disadvantages. At the veryleast, the object of the invention is to provide an alternative to knownfoldable self-erecting tents and their methods of use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is disclosedfoldable self-erecting tent having an elongate shell of fabric sheetmaterial and a plurality of frame ribs, said tent having an erectconfiguration in which said frame ribs of said shell define an interiorspace of said tent, and a collapsed and folded configuration in whichthe shell is compacted and the frame is manipulated such that said tentis stored in a carry bag, wherein said shell includes a floor panel andat least one upper panel joined thereto, said floor panel having fixingmeans being adapted to be fixed to the ground, said at least one upperpanel having sleeves associated therewith, said sleeves extending from aplurality of positions adjacent adjoining sides of said upper panel andsaid floor panel on one side of said floor panel to a position onopposite side of said floor panel, said frame ribs being adapted to befitted into said sleeves and being secured at their ends such that saidribs are bowed in an arcuate configuration, said ribs being made from aresilient spring like material urging against the shell of fabric sheetmaterial to form said interior space, wherein said frame ribs aremoveable from the erect configuration where they are spaced apart tosaid collapsed configuration where they are adjacent to each other intoa substantially flat arrangement with a diameter of the transverse crosssection being substantially identical to that of the erectconfiguration, said ribs being adapted to be manipulated into a looparrangement thereby reducing the diameter in the collapsed and foldedconfiguration, and said tent in flat said collapsed and foldedconfiguration being adapted to be stored in the storage carry bag.

The floor panel and the upper panel can be formed by an integralconstruction of the shell with a portion of the shell being relativelyflat and being adapted to be fixed to the ground. The sleeves in thisconstruction extending from ground level to ground level over the upperportion of the shell.

Preferably, in the collapsed and folded configuration where the ribs arelooped once with the ends of the ribs facing the same general direction,the ribs are held against the bias of the ribs by a strap means.Preferably, the ends of the ribs are tucked under the fabric sheetmaterial when in this configuration. In other forms of the invention,the ribs can be looped one and a half times, or more.

In a preferred form of the invention, the carry bag is a substantiallyflat oval shaped bag with two sides joined together. Preferably, thejoin of the two sides of the bag is reinforced by an oval rib. The carrybag preferably has at least one carry handle.

In a preferred form of the invention, the ribs are removable from thesleeves in order that they can be replaced when necessary, and aresecured to tags located adjacent adjoining sides of said upper panel andsaid floor panel. They are preferably secured by means of being receivedthrough an eyelet. Preferably, these same tags have are use to fix thetent to the ground by pegging same to the ground. Preferably, pegs areused through different eyelets to those used by the ribs.

In a preferred form, the tent is elongate with a central upper panel andtwo oppositely located end upper panels. Openings are preferablyprovided in the end panels.

In the preferred form, the ribs are formed into pairs wherein a pair ofribs and hence the sleeves have two cross over points about half theheight of the tent with the upper portion of each rib being locatedsubstantially above the ends of the other rib in the pair. Adjacentpairs of ribs and sleeves pull apart from each other when in the erectedconfiguration to give a taut surface to the fabric sheet material, dueto the bias or spring action of the ribs within the sleeves.

Naturally this preferred arrangement of the ribs can be altered wherebythe crossover points of the ribs are located at the apex of the tent orin another alternative, there is no crossover points of each pair ofribs. A further alternative is where the ribs are not joined in pairsbut are adjacent each other but directed in opposing directions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a tent according to one embodiment of thepresent invention illustrated in its erect configuration;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the tent of FIG. 1 illustrated with anadditional fly sheet;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the tent of FIG. 1 illustrated in its erectconfiguration;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the tent of FIG. 1 illustrated with theadditional fly sheet;

FIG. 5 is a series of schematic views of the tent of FIG. 1 illustratedin its collapsed configuration whilst being folded;

FIG. 6 is a series of schematic views of a tent of another embodimentillustrated in its collapsed configuration whilst being folded;

FIG. 7 is a view of a bag into which the collapsed and folded tent ofFIG. 1 is stowed, and

FIG. 8 is a series of schematic views of alternative arrangements of theribs.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The general arrangement of a self erecting foldable tent 10 of apreferred embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 which show the tent 10having an elongate shell 11 of fabric sheet material. The shell 11includes a floor panel 12, a central upper panel 13 and two end upperpanels 14 and 15. A number of bowed ribs 16 are received incorresponding sleeves 17 sewn into the fabric sheet material of thecentral upper panel 13, and are used to define an interior space of thetent as the ribs 16 are bowed in an arcuate configuration spacing thecentral upper panel 13 and the two end upper panels 14 of the shell 11apart from the floor panel 12. The ribs 16 are preferably made from aresilient spring like material.

The ribs 16 in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, are formed inthree criss-crossed pairs. The ribs 16 cross at about half the height ofthe tent 10 with the top of the ribs 16 being located approximatelyabove the ends 18 of the other rib 16 in each pair. The ribs 16 arereceived in the sleeves 17 which are sewn into the upper panels 13, 14and 15 of the shell 11.

The ends 18 of the ribs 16 are received in eyelets 19 located in tags 20positioned at the floor panel 12. The tags 20 as well as receiving theends 17 of the ribs 16 are used to fix the tent 10 to the ground bypegging. In this embodiment, other eyelets 21 in the tags 20 receive thepegs.

As the ribs 16 are formed in the sleeves 18 at angles to the vertical asseen in FIG. 1, the spring like nature of the ribs 16 forces the ribs 16in the spaced apart arrangement as seen in FIG. 1. Adjacent pairs ofribs 16 pull apart from each other when in the erected configuration togive a taut surface to the fabric sheet material of the shell 11.

When stowing the tent 10, of the preferred embodiment as seen in FIGS. 1to 4, when it is not in use, the ribs 16 are collapsed together againstthe bias of the ribs 16 such that the end panels 14 and 15 are forcedtogether with the central panel 13 being collapsed. This results in theribs 16 being grouped together as seen in FIG. 5 of the drawings. Oncethe ribs 16 have been grouped together, the ends 18 of the ribs 16 areable to be grasped and manipulated in a twisting action to form a loop23 by crossing over the ribs 16 with the ends 18 generally facing thesame direction. The twisting of the ribs 16 into the loop 23 ensuresthat the size of the diameter of the collapsed tent 10 is reduced. Oncethe diameter is reduced to an appropriate size, a strap 24 is fittedover the loop 23 of the ribs 16 to secure same. The strap can beseparate or connected to the material of the tent 10. The ends 18 of theribs 16 can then be tucked under the material of the shell 11.

The collapsed and folded tent 10 is now able to be stowed in a carry bag25 as seen in FIG. 7. The carry bag 25 is a substantially flat ovalshaped bag with two sides 26 joined together. Preferably, the join ofthe two sides 26 of the bag is reinforced by an oval beading 27. Thecarry bag 25 preferably has at least one carry handle 28 and has azipper closure.

The reverse of the above procedure is followed to set up the tent 10whereby the tent 10 is removed from the bag 25 and the strap 24 isreleased. The bias of the ribs 16 spring the tent 10 to full size asseen in FIG. 1. The tent 10 is then pegged to the ground, and a flysheet 30 and guy ropes 31 are used.

It is seen that the tent 10 is very easy to erect and also very easy tocollapse and fold. It is also seen that the folded tent 10 is welladapted to be stowed into the carry bag 25 for easy storage andtransportation.

In another embodiment of the tent 10 in which the tent 10 is larger asseen in FIG. 6, when stowing the tent 10 when it is not in use, the ribs16 are collapsed together against the bias of the ribs 16 such that theend panels 14 and 15 are forced together with the central panel 13 beingcollapsed. This results in the ribs 16 being grouped together as seen inFIG. 6 of the drawings. Once the ribs 16 have been grouped together, theends 18 of the ribs 16 are fastened together by VELCRO®. straps 33adjacent the ends of the ribs 16. VELCRO® straps 34 are also used tofasten the midsection 34 of the ribs 16 together to aid in folding thetent 10. The collapsed tent 10 is then laid on the ground and the ends17 of the ribs 16 are clipped by releasable clips 35 located on theopposite side of the tent 10 about one third of the way around the ribs16. The collapsed tent 10 now is in two loops 37 as seen in FIG. 6 andthen they are brought together and a tension strap 38 ribs is used tohold the two loops 36 together. The tent is now able to be stowed in abag in a similar manner to the other embodiment.

Alternative arrangements of the ribs 16 are shown in FIG. 8 whereby theribs 16 are shown in a variety of different types of pairs.

The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention,and modifications obvious to those skilled in the art can be madethereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1. A foldable self-erecting tent and storage bag, said tent having anelongate shell of fabric sheet material and a plurality of frame ribs,said tent having an erect configuration in which said frame ribs of saidshell define an interior space of said tent, and a collapsed and foldedconfiguration in which the shell is compacted and the frame ismanipulated such that said tent is stored in a carry bag, wherein saidshell includes a floor panel and at least one upper panel joinedthereto, said floor panel having fixing means being adapted to be fixedto the ground, said at least one upper panel having sleeves associatedtherewith, said sleeves extending from a plurality of positions adjacentadjoining sides of said upper panel and said floor panel on one side ofsaid floor panel to a position on opposite side of said floor panel,said frame ribs being adapted to be fitted into said sleeves and beingsecured at their ends such that said ribs are bowed in an arcuateconfiguration, said ribs being made from a resilient material urgingagainst the shell of fabric sheet material to form said interior space,wherein said frame ribs are moveable from the erect configuration wherethey are spaced apart to said collapsed configuration where they areadjacent to each other into a substantially flat arrangement with adiameter of the transverse cross section being substantially identicalto that of the erect configuration, said ribs being adapted to bemanipulated into a loop arrangement thereby reducing the diameter in thecollapsed and folded configuration, and said tent in said collapsed andfolded configuration being adapted to be stored in the storage carry bagwherein in the collapsed and folded configuration the ribs are loopedonce with the ends of the ribs facing the same general direction, theribs being held against the bias of the ribs by a strap, wherein theends of the ribs are tucked under the fabric sheet material when in thecollapsed and folded configuration and wherein the ribs are looped atleast one and a half times.
 2. The foldable self-erecting tent andstorage bag according to claim 1, wherein the floor panel and the upperpanel are formed by an integral construction of the shell with a portionof the shell being relatively flat and being adapted to be fixed to theground.
 3. The foldable self-erecting tent and storage bag according toclaim 2, wherein the sleeves extend from ground level to ground levelover the upper portion of the shell.
 4. The foldable tent according toclaim 1, wherein securing means are used to secure the ribs together inthe collapsed and folded configuration.
 5. The foldable self-erectingtent and storage bag according to claim 1, wherein the ribs areremovable from the sleeves in order that they can be replaced whennecessary, and are secured to tags located adjacent adjoining sides ofsaid upper panel and said floor panel.
 6. The foldable self-erectingtent and storage bag according to claim 5, wherein the ribs are securedby means of being received through an eyelet.
 7. The foldableself-erecting tent and storage bag according to claim 6, wherein thetags are used to fix the tent to the ground by pegging to the ground. 8.The foldable self-erecting tent and storage bag according to claim 7,wherein the pegs are used through different eyelets to those used by theribs.
 9. The foldable self-erecting tent and storage bag according toclaim 1, wherein the tent is elongate with a central upper panel and twooppositely located end upper panels.
 10. The foldable self-erecting tentand storage bag according to claim 9, wherein openings are provided inthe end panels.
 11. The foldable self-erecting tent and storage bagaccording to claim 1, wherein the ribs are formed into pairs, wherein apair of ribs and hence the sleeves have two cross over points about halfthe height of the tent with the upper portion of each rib being locatedsubstantially above the ends of the other rib in the pair wherebyadjacent pairs of ribs and sleeves pull apart from each other when inthe erected configuration to give a taut surface to the fabric sheetmaterial, due to the bias or spring action of the ribs within thesleeves.
 12. The foldable self-erecting tent and storage bag accordingto claim 11, wherein the crossover points of the ribs are located at theapex of the tent.
 13. The foldable self-erecting tent and storage bagaccording to claim 1, wherein the ribs are formed in pairs and whereinthere is no crossover points of each pair of ribs.
 14. The foldableself-erecting tent and storage bag according to claim 1, wherein theribs are not joined in pairs but are adjacent each other but directed inopposing directions.
 15. The foldable self-erecting tent and storage bagaccording to claim 1, wherein the carry bag is a substantially flat ovalshaped bag.